The circus has never been quite the same for me ever since I saw one with my daughter and her friend when they were about 4.

It was a rinky-dink company performing at a local auditorium. But it had managed to string a high-wire across the stage and out over the orchestra pit. At the appointed time, the acrobat climbed a pole and gingerly sought his balance for his first step.

"What’s he doing?" my daughter’s friend whispered.

"He’s going to walk across that tightrope!" I answered with parental enthusiasm.

"Why?"

Hmmm.

Why indeed? She had me stumped. She’d hit on the core question: Why walk across a tightrope when you don’t have to?

The cold truth is that while we watch to appreciate the skill involved, we also watch because it’s dangerous. Something bad could happen any second.

If that appeals to you — and if you can’t wait ’til the resumption of the NASCAR season — you might buy tickets to Broadway’s newest show, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark."

As of this writing, four cast members have been injured in accidents with no sign the pace will abate.

That means the story of the musical’s creation already has more heartbreak and drama than any plot twist involving Spidey, alter ego Peter Parker and favorite girl Mary Jane.

At this point, we feel compelled to point out the obvious: This might — just might — be what happens when you stage a musical based on a comic book whose premise ignores the laws of physics.

That makes it very different from a musical based on the French Revolution or the sinking of the Titanic or the fall of Saigon. While all those events had startling plot twists that involved gravity, they did actually take place. The stage versions were mere re-creations.

But Spider-Man flying? Clearly the creators had their brains commandeered by their inner 10-year-olds. They were so intent on replicating the comic book they forgot the tiny fact that Spider-Man doesn’t exist and never has.

If they’re going to persist in their fantasy, clearly they are going to need more safety harnesses. The audience probably won’t mind: The children won’t notice and the adults will be relieved they won’t have their evening cut short by the arrival of an ambulance.

As it is, attending the show will be more like seeing a high-end circus conveniently located in the Theater District.

Perhaps they can arrange to borrow some Stephen Sondheim lyrics, specificially these: